The present invention relates to downhole equipment and, in particular, to shearable control line connectors.
In the oil and gas industry, control lines are often run along the exterior of production tubing or work string extended into a wellbore in order to communicate between a surface location and a downhole location. The control lines, which may be optical, electrical, or fluid (i.e., hydraulic) control lines, enable the transmission of signals, downhole data acquisition, activation and control of downhole devices, and numerous other applications. For example, command and control signals may be sent from a controller located at the surface location to a downhole tool located within the wellbore. In other applications, downhole sensors collect data and relay that data to the surface location through a control line uplink for evaluation or use in the specific well-related operation. In yet other applications, hydraulic pressure is conveyed through the control lines to act on or otherwise actuate one or more downhole tools or devices.
When it is desired to retrieve certain downhole equipment from the wellbore, such as retrieving upper portions of a downhole completion assembly, the control lines are often severed, thereby allowing the upper portions to be successfully retrieved while leaving the remaining portions of the completion assembly downhole. In some cases, this may be done by pulling on the upper portions of the completion assembly until the control line fails in tension at a random location. In other cases, the control lines are severed using a shearing device located downhole and configured to sever the control line upon actuation.
At least one problem with severing control lines, however, is that the portions of the severed control line that remain downhole may inadvertently obstruct the portions of the equipment remaining downhole. Such an obstruction may prevent the remaining downhole equipment from being able to successfully connect to new or additional wellbore equipment subsequently introduced downhole. Moreover, if the remaining downhole equipment is ever required to be retrieved to the surface, the portions of the severed control line may bunch up within the wellbore and bind or otherwise prevent the ascent of the equipment to the surface.